1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a warming/chilling apparatus, in particular a warming/chilling apparatus for a pain treatment unit, comprising a heating device and a cooling device for alternately heating and cooling a heating/cooling element.
Pain such as for example migraine and tension headaches as well as tinnitus complaints and comparable complaints are frequently treated by drug administration. In past years however alternative approaches to the treatment of pain have also been developed. Some of those aim to eliminate or at least reduce pain by means of a warming/chilling treatment.
2. Related Art of the Invention
A method and an apparatus for carrying out a warming/chilling treatment are described in DE 100 65 592.
The method described in DE 100 65 592 is based on applying heat and cold to the patient on a rhythmically changing basis. Depending on the nature of the pain, the application of heat or cold respectively is effected over respectively identical or different periods of time. The heat or cold acts over a period of seconds or minutes before the procedure is switched over from hot to cold or from cold to hot.
The apparatus which is used to carry out that pain treatment has a headset with two earpieces. In one embodiment a warming element and a chilling element are arranged in mutually juxtaposed relationship in the earpiece. Controlled by a time interval control system, the apparatus provides for alternately applying the warming and the chilling element to the skin. The result of this however is that the heat and the cold are applied at different locations on the skin. In a further embodiment the heat and the cold are applied to the skin at the same location. For that purpose, a warming/chilling element with the possibility of accommodating fluid is arranged in the earpiece. Heating or cooling fluid is fed to the warming/chilling element by way of tubes in order to warm it or cool it. However, heating and cooling of the warming/chilling element requires a relatively long period of time, which is in conflict with a rapid change from warm to cold or vice-versa.
A further apparatus for the treatment of pain by means of the alternate supply of warmth and cold is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,002. The zone of the body to be treated is alternately supplied with warmth and cold by means of Peltier elements. The temperatures range between 25° C. and 43° C. In that situation a control unit controls the flow of current to the Peltier elements in such a way that the change between warm and cold takes place several times per minute.
An apparatus for producing a series of temperature patterns for reducing pain is disclosed in EP 0 330 472. The temperatures are produced by means of thermoelectric elements and are in the range of between 19° and 44°. A change in the temperature gradient takes place at most once per minute.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,702 discloses an apparatus for skin massage. The massage effect is achieved by warmth and cold being supplied to the skin in a cyclic change procedure. The apparatus for performing the skin massage includes two treatment blocks which are pressed against the head of the person to be treated, by means of curved springs. A contact plate can be warmed to temperatures of between 25° C. and 32° C. and cooled to temperatures of between 10° C. and 17° C., by means of Peltier elements. For warming or cooling the contact plate, a pulse generator supplies the Peltier elements with bipolar current pulses of a duration of between 60 and 90 seconds.